The Body of Christ

And here is the second article that I wrote for our ministry newsletter, to share the conclusion of the matter with you:

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“You were completely immovable in your faith!” Dr. Luis exclaimed. His face lit up joyfully. I was bringing Lily in for her first follow-up appointment since our return to Iquitos. This was the first he had ever seen her awake.

“Lily, it’s a true pleasure to finally meet you,” he gushed with obvious affection. She stared at him, shyly. She had no memory of the doctor that had cared for her as she lay in a coma for two weeks.

She gazed the same way at the nurses who exclaimed excitedly over her. A few weeks ago, they were tiptoeing around her, in hushed tones expressing their hopes that she would make it. Now, a bright, smiling child blinked back at their exuberant exclamations. I could feel my own exultant smile glowing fiercely.

Dr. Luis went on for several minutes about the impact we made on him. The firm, untiring way our family had prayed out loud over Lily during her illness left its mark on his heart. Standing by her ICU bedside, I had no awareness of this. My heart now rejoices to know that Jesus was glorified through the trial of our faith.

Room does not allow for sharing all the details of what the Lord did during our time in the hospital. He opened up countless opportunities for us to pray with others throughout those 32 days. We were privileged to minister to many other anguished people waiting outside the ICU for news of their family members. What a vivid way to experience how close Holy Spirit is to the brokenhearted! Beautifully, several of them gave their lives to Jesus.

Beyond this, we have had testimonies pouring in from all over the world of lives impacted by Lily’s miracle. Countless individuals share with us that their faith is now stronger from watching the goodness of God unfold before our eyes. I marvel at all that the Father has done to bring good out of such a difficult time. The beauty He has brought forth far outweighs the pain of our suffering.

And how to thank Him for such an indescribable outpouring of love from the Body of Christ during our time of need? I never in my life could have imagined how supported we would feel during one of the most painful experiences of our lives.

There are no words capable of quantifying how the thousands of messages of heartfelt love upheld us. The endless stream of financial gifts pouring in continually, meeting absolutely all of our needs. The awareness of thousands of brothers and sisters and congregations and prayer groups on their knees before the Throne on our behalf. Fasting with us. Petitioning Heaven for our baby’s life. An overwhelmingly thankful sob wells up from deep inside of me, as I remember. I can never, ever utter adequate expression of my thanks.

But here I try. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I gather myself to say it once again. Thank you. Can you hear the passionate roar of gratitude resounding from our hearts? With all that we are, thank you. As I said to a dear friend in regards to this unforgettable chapter of our lives, “Before all of this, I knew that we were loved. But now I really know.”

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If you would be interested in receiving our ministry newsletter about our missions work in Peru, I’d love to send it to you! Shoot me a message via my “Contact” tab here on my blog — just make sure to include either the email, or the snail mail address where you’d like to receive it (both are available!)

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